suffer the little children
by Pixie Angel
Summary: the 11th in the sequal to 'the loss of duo maxwell' series. now the pilots are older and wiser some even married. but though they have laid their ghosts to rest they didn't know the ghosts wouldn't stay restful... sorry about this being misfiled earlier
1. chapter one

Chapter one  
  
Duo watched her as she prowled from one side of the beautiful room to the other. He was reminded of a tiger. Something about her said she was a predator, that she hunted, and that she held some kind of primitive strength under those hundred layers of raw beauty. A smile flickered across his face, but only briefly. She wouldn't find it very funny. "So uh. whats new?" the laughter was bubbling up his throat, but he knew that to keep his head in the same position (i.e. on his neck) he would have to stifle it. "Hmm. I wonder?" she snarled sarcastically. "Look, you can't keep on doing this! It gets me into a lot of trouble!" she stopped pacing now and turned to him. Putting her hands on her hips and cocking her head to the side, she looked at him with something close to contempt in her eyes. Placing her head on her shoulder allowed the long copper and gold tinted locks to fall lower. As they swung down, they gently brushed her hips, causing shivers to run up and down Duo's spine. "Listen Ana. It was a harmless joke. If he wants to get all mad because someone put a few worms in his mailbox, then that's not my problem." "They were not worms! They were slugs! Acid slugs! He nearly burnt his arm off! You know Wufei isn't exactly the nicest person to deal with at the best of times, but he's impossible when he's angry!" she threw up her hands into the air and started pacing again. As she walked past him Duo grabbed her around the waist and pulled her onto his lap. "C'mon. Don't be mad." He pulled his best puppy dog eyes. " We wuv woo. Does woo wuv us too?" pouting, he searched for an answer in her emerald eyes. After a minute, "We wuv woo too." He tried to pull her in closer for a kiss, but she pecked him on the cheek and jumped up. He was left clutching air and feeling cheated. "Listen lover man, you have to apologise to Wufei, and I have business to take care of. Being manager of you Gundam pilots isn't the easiest job in the world you know. Especially when you have the cutest one following you like a puppy dog." "Heero that bastard! How dare he follow you around!" duo cracked. "Well, he is awfully cute, enough to make a girl want to reconsider her options." She laughed and then floated out of the room, her long dress flowing out behind her. Duo looked around the room, and then flopped back onto his bed. Since the war had ended, he and the other pilots had lived in a variety of places. At first they had had their own place, but after the death of Lily had had to leave because a hole had been blown in the wall. Also, the place brought back bad memories for all of them. Second they had lived with Relena Peacecraft, but due to Heero being an asshole and sneaking around trying to shoot her, they had been asked to leave. Then had come the huge mansion in the hills, one of Quatre's. But there had been some business with an assassin, and they had had to hurry out in the middle of the night. The next day, the mansion went up in flames, courtesy of a group of ex white fang soldiers. After that they had wondered around for a bit, staying wherever they could find shelter. One night there had been a really huge storm, and they had ducked into a cave in a mountainside. They had been there for an hour or two, when duo spotted something being blown around in the wind outside. A moment later he had recognised it as a cloak. And under that cloak, had been a girl. He rushed into the wind, and snatched her up. She had been too weak to put up a fight and had fainted in his arms. He had brought her back to the cave and warmed her near the fire. Once she had recovered a little, he had given her some of his own food, and wrapped her up in his blankets. The other pilots had told him that she was probably just a passing gypsy and that he shouldn't waste his time. But he had insisted that any person in need of help was worth helping. The next morning when she had woken up, she had told them that she was very grateful and that they were welcome to stay at her house if they wanted. She had told them that she had been trying to reach a nearby village before the storm struck and had got lost. They had gratefully accepted her offer of shelter, and had followed her, expecting a small farm at most. When they had arrived at the huge house with it's sweeping lawns and beautiful gardens, they had been stunned. She led them up to the house and gave them a huge breakfast, and two days later a ball had been thrown as thanks for their hospitality towards her. She had asked them if they would stay longer and all had agreed. That had been 5 years ago. Now, Trowa Wufei Heero and Quatre all had their own houses on the property while Duo stayed up at the main house. He and Ana had instantly formed a liking for each other, and within two weeks had started seriously dating. A year later they had got married, and they were still very happy today. As duo sat daydreaming, he didn't notice a small child run towards him across the room. The little girl ran to the foot of the bed and then sat down. Peeking around to make sure duo wasn't paying attention, she signalled to the small boy standing at the door to come in. he instantly fell to his hands and knee's and crawled silently across the room. When he got there he sat next to the girl, and promptly pulled one of her long gold ringlets. She in turn pinched his arm. "Ow, wadja do dat for 'nstasia?" he whispered. "Shush. You wake him up!" she retorted back quietly. While the two children bickered silently, throwing small harmless punches at each other, they didn't see a shadow pass over them. As quick as a flash, the little girl was snatched up and she squealed as duo gave her a big kiss on the cheek. "Daddy! No fair!" she pouted. "We was sneaking up. Like you used to do on the weak fangs." The boy had by now stood up and was trying to pull himself onto the huge bed. "Yeah daddy! Uncle Woofy told us 'bout da weak fangs and OZ soldyers. Is da OZ soldyers like da wizard of Oz daddy?" Cory asked from his precarious position, hanging off the end off the bed like it was a cliff top. Duo just laughed at this question from his son and pulled the wide-eyed cutie onto the bed next to his sister. "No Cory, the OZ soldiers and the wizard of Oz are very different. And why has uncle Wufei been telling you stories like that? You know your mommy doesn't like that. Aunty Livinia should teach him better." Replied duo, referring to Wufei's fiancée. "And Anastasia, I don't ever want you to be like a soldier. Okay?" he turned the girl around and stood her up on the bed, looking into her eyes for an answer. " 'Kay daddy. I won't be like a nasty soldyer." She replied. She played with the hem of her red velvet dress for a minute, and then, "Where's mama? She said that we would get to go and see baby Clarice today, then she disappeareded." " My beautiful twins, I promise you that mama will take you to see the baby. But uncle Quatre and Auntie Emily are very tired from looking after the baby, and maybe it's best if you see them another day." " Yes darlings" came a voice from the doorway. "We will see them another day." 


	2. chapter two

Chapter 2  
  
" But mama! You said!" the little girl had learned a few tricks from her father and pulled puppy dog eyes. Her twin just watched in amazement. He had never been as outgoing as his sister, and didn't have the same way she had. She seemed to be able to win people over instantly, she could be as terrible as she liked, (and often was) and still everyone loved her. They loved him as well, but they didn't coo at him half as much. He wasn't bitter about it, only amazed. "No Anastasia. Auntie Emily is very tired. We can't see them today." Anastasia sucked in a huge breath, puffed her cheeks out and prepared to let loose an air piercing scream, when her dad clamped his hand over her mouth and kissed her forehead. Instantly she smiled and sat down again. "Ok daddy." She said, while her mother threw her hands up in the air and walked over to the bed. She plucked up Cory and put him under one of her arms, while he squealed in delight, then picked up Anastasia, and carried them through to the next room. "Come on duo! Get out of bed already. You can't stay there all day." "Actually I was hoping you'd get back in." he replied cheekily, while the twins erupted into giggles at their fathers remark. "Well I have other things to do." "Like me?" he replied innocently from underneath his bangs. This prompted another outbreak from the twins. " Shoo you two! " she replied, her own voice tinkling with laughter. "Anastasia, go to the piano and practice. I want you to play tomorrow if that's ok." "Ok mommy." "And Cory, you have to finish your painting. It was coming along so nicely." "Yes mama." As the sounds of his family spread throughout the house, duo sighed and pulled himself out of bed. "No rest for the wicked." He grinned to himself. While he pulled on his clothes he indulged in his favourite pastime, thinking about his wife. With her long copper hair and green eyes, her slender arms and graceful movements, she was everything he had always wanted. She always wore dresses, most were long and deep green, with dragging sleeves and flowing backs. Most of the time she looked almost like a medieval princess. He also loved the way she styled her hair so that it looked as though it ran down her back like liquid. As a strange banging and clanking arose, he laughed, recognising the sound of Cory trying to 'help' his sister play the piano. About 7 months after they were married, they had been blessed with two gorgeous baby children. Anastasia was the more outgoing, always willing to have her say whether her victim wanted to hear it or not. She also had remarkable musical talent. Cory was a different matter. He was quiet, but had his own good qualities. He was incessantly curious, and could paint beautifully. While most of his pictures were of his family, especially his sister, he had done some wonderful landscapes. Both of the twins had blond hair. Anastasia's was long and hung in ringlets around her angelic face. Cory's was short, and hung in curly waves on his head. Anastasia had inherited her mothers emerald eyes, while Cory had been born with his fathers violet ones. Both had been beautiful babies, and promised to be beautiful children. While Duo wanted the twins to be dressed as normal children their age, their mother insisted on dressing them like dolls. Anastasia's ringlet hair helped add to the illusion, especially when her mother dressed her like she had today. She was wearing a long sleeved crimson crushed velvet dress with lacy trim on the collar and hem and petticoats underneath. Shiny black doll shoes with lacy white socks pulled up to the knees completed the outfit. Cory was always dressed like a sailor, with blue shorts, a stripy blue and white top, and a scarf. Sometimes she went so far as to add a hat, but Cory didn't like it and often it would go missing sometime during the day. His favourite excuse was that the monkeys took it. As the family did own pet monkeys, this excuse could have worked, apart from the fact that they lived in the garden and Cory never went near the Monkey House. Tomorrow night, their fourth birthday, they would be dressed spectacularly. Ana came from a well-to-do family, and had been brought up always wearing dresses and having big parties. Duo wasn't used to this, except from some of the schools he had attended in his youth. He didn't mind, but he would much rather have had small gatherings. Ana had already planned a huge ball, with Anastasia playing the piano, and Cory showing off some of his oil paintings. There would be the usual mix of businessmen and extended family, and they were sure to 'ooh' and 'ah' in all the right places. A favourite part of the well-rehearsed act was when both twins got onto the grand-piano stool and played a sweet number from some musical (singing the words as well of course). When this was finished came the finale. Both would climb to a standing position on the stool and join hands. Then, with utmost sweetness, Anastasia would curtsy and Cory would bow. This little act was performed at most get-togethers, and was guaranteed to have the men smiling and chuckling, and the women practically weeping at the twin's adorability. It was well rehearsed in advance, their mother insisted, but still the children loved every minute of it. "Duo! For gods sake, hurry up!" a voice snapped, irritated. "Heero, may I remind you that it was your dumb idea to leave this trip to the store till the last minute. And it was you who got your license suspended." There was a grunt and then the sound of a door closing somewhere in the house. Heero had ordered presents at a local toyshop, custom made for his godchildren. But about a month ago he'd had his driving license suspended on a driving under the influence charge, so duo had to drive him to the store. He pulled on his black pinstripe trousers and quickly buttoned up his stylish white shirt. He added the black tie his wife insisted on, and grabbed a jacket from his wardrobe. As he passed the mirror he couldn't help checking himself out. "Looking good, buddy." He told himself. With the diamond pinkie ring Ana had given to him on his birthday, the gold wedding band and the small gold cross around his neck, he truly looked like someone from the Mafia. Straightening his satin tie, and pushing his feet into the shiny black dress shoes, the 24-year-old couldn't help being amazed. If you'd walked up to 16 year old duo while he was trying to fix his deathscythe and told him that he was going to look like a business man in a couple of years time, you probably would've got your brains splattered onto the floor, courtesy of shinigami. In fact, if you'd walked up to 16-year- old duo at any time and tried to start a conversation you probably would've died. "Yeah, I was cute but deadly back then. Now I'm just cute!" he chuckled and sidled out of the room, looking around for his family. Hearing stifled giggles from a nearby closet, he headed over there. "Hmmm. where can they be? " he said, loud enough so that whoever was in the closet could hear. "Under. here?" he cried, ducking under a table. "Nope. Over here?" he asked, looking around a china cabinet. "Or in.here!" he quickly pulled the door open and whisked the occupant out. "Guess you caught me. Now do you have to punish me for hiding? I've been a very naughty girl." The voice purred. "LJ, get the fuck away from me. What the hell do you think you're doing?" "Nothing." Purred the brunet. "Nothing you don't want, that is. I'm sure you can leave your precious Ana for 10 minutes." "LJ, I may have felt I wanted you at some point, but that was 6 years ago. I love Ana. I never loved you." He replied angrily. "I'm not asking for love!" the 19 year old was angry now. "All I want is the respect I deserve. Sure, lets turn to the whore when we have an itch that needs scratching, but as soon as that's over we can dump her for the rich bitch!" she was angry now, her voice showed it in the way it was strained and weak sounding. Duo caught her arms angrily and held them, leaning towards her, his hot breath blowing down on the top of her head. She struggled to get out of his grip, but many years of fighting told him never to let go of an untrustworthy opponent. "How dare you talk about Ana like that! She is the love of my life and I will not have her insulted by some teenage slut!" he flung her away from him, so that she flew backwards and stumbled, landing on her butt, sobbing. As he moved away she stumbled up and screamed after him before fleeing in the other direction, fearing what he would do to her. " You loved me once Maxwell! At least you loved my body! You used me when you needed me and you loved it! You twisted perverted bastard! Never again will you be happy! I will make sure of it! No-one refuses me!" Duo just sighed and carried on towards the living rooms. The house was big enough that no one had probably heard them, but he still didn't enjoy arguing with his ex-lover. Hiring her was the worst mistake he made in his life. As he entered the room, he picked up his keys from the rack on the wall, kissed his wife goodbye and moved towards the car lot. Unpleasant thing happen every day, he told himself, you just have to move on. 


	3. chapter three

Chapter three  
  
"Heero, what the hell?" Duo was desperately fighting the urge to laugh or cry or shout, anything to break the silence.  
  
"I didn't know it at the time. It was just, she's so good at lying. I didn't know what I was doing at the time. I swear it!" he let out a sigh and rubbed his forehead with his hands. "It's just, she looked so helpless. I fucked up didn't I?" he looked to the man at his side for confirmation.  
  
Duo laughed, but it was a weak sounding thing, and it died on his lips. "Ok, let me get this straight. You let Ronan talk to LJ. Then you invited Ronan to the twin's party. Then, on top of that, you didn't tell me. Yeah, I'd say you'd fucked up real bad."  
  
"But I didn't-" started Heero indignantly.  
  
"Shut the hell up. You let a witch who has a vendetta against me invite her second to my children's birthday party. Do you realise that the only reason she isn't magic any more is because Ronan was away?" duo lowered his head until it was supported by the steering wheel.  
  
"Sorry?" Heero made it a question.  
  
"No, Heero, you're not sorry. You never are. Fuck man, if you could just look after yourself, then maybe we'd trust you more. Since the war ended, you've really taken it badly. You've been reduced to a wreck. You're nothing like the Heero we used to know. You used to be the tough man, the dude with a 'tude. Now, now you're just the drunk friend who can't look after himself." Duo sounded so sickened and angry that Heero was almost scared of his former gentle lover. Almost.  
  
"Well I'm so fucking sorry if seeing someone take a bullet for the almighty shinigami and him not being able to save her kinda ruined my faith in the system." Said with a hint of coldness and uncaring, it sounded like something the 16-year-old Heero would say. Duo was instantly pinning Heero up against the window of the car, his face going red with feeling, not anger.  
  
"I told you not to fucking mention her ever again. I'm trying to put that behind me. I didn't even know lily, and it was the biggest loss I ever went through. Fuck man! I didn't see you doing anything. Where were you when she died huh? What were you doing to help her? She was the only woman I'll ever love and she was gone before I could even know her."  
  
"I thought you told LJ this morning that you loved Ana?"  
  
"It's a different kind of love. And what are you listening to my private conversations for?" He sighed and let go of Heero. The other man slowly slid back down into his seat and massaged his red neck.  
  
"Some conversation. But what can you do to bring her back? She's gone man. Get over it."  
  
"How the fuck can you get over true love? It's not something you can switch off. It's permanent." A solitary tear slid out of one eye. "And there are ways of bringing her back." He said the last part so silently that Heero almost didn't hear. But he did. Narrowing his eyes suspiciously,  
  
"Look man, you're not going all voodoo on me are you?"  
  
"The term is necromancy, and no, I'm not raising lily back to life, but I am remaking her."  
  
"Listen man, I know the taycer are strong, and stronger since you've been leading them, but they're not that strong. Don't pull this shit on me."  
  
"Why do you think Anastasia looks so much like lily? Not like me, not like her mother. Like Her. Her natural hair colour was honey blonde, did you know that? And her eyes were emerald green. So beautiful, then the taycer recognised-"  
  
"Cut the shit duo. I've heard this story before. Now what the hell did you mean about Anastasia? If you've pulled some voodoo crap and given your daughter lily's soul, that's sick. That's so fucking sick. Tell me what the hell you've done." Duo's eyes flashed with anger and he glared at Heero. He put the key into the ignition of the jaguar and started to back out of the parking lot.  
  
"You're really one to talk aren't you Heero? I thought you loved me? Thought we were meant to be together? Hmmm, and then just five minutes with my soul mate and you cant stand to touch me again. It's a good thing that Quatre never heard about that, he would've been ma-ad at Trowa." He looked out of the back window and swore loudly as a woman in a ford pulled out in front of them, almost side-swiping the car.  
  
"We're not talking about the thousands of mistakes I've made, we're talking about you, doing unnatural shit with lily's soul."  
  
"The taycer didn't want to let her go. They said that she would rise again and become my queen. But they needed a vessel. So I gave them one."  
  
"Fuck dude! That's your fucking daughter! How can you even think, even justify that?" Heero stared incredulously at Duo, who was still waiting for the woman to carry on driving.  
  
"She's not my daughter, she's a vessel." Duo insisted adamantly.  
  
"Do I need to explain the process man? Man + woman = baby = daughter of man + woman. Is that simple enough for you, or do I need to go further?"  
  
"She wasn't born because I made love with Ana. The taycer conceived her and put her inside Ana. I didn't touch my wife until after the wedding. Did you ever think I did? She had this whole strict "honeymoon" policy. Then, when the twins came two months early, she just assumed they were early. She went to four finishing schools, but the woman hardly knows the facts of life. She never knew the difference."  
  
"And what exactly are you going to do? Divorce your wife so you can be a king with the person the law sees as your daughter? It's not gonna fucking work." Heero punched the dashboard in frustration.  
  
"I'm not gonna fuck her, I'm just gonna allow her to be my queen. We won't be married or anything. She's just going to help me rule the taycer."  
  
"And what do those freaks think about this? Surely after years of having only a high priestess, they're going to resent Anastasia." Heero wasn't concerned, he was just trying to find holes in the plan and make them larger.  
  
"They're not freaks! They're just people who happen to worship me. I'm not complaining. And it was their idea in the first place. Bringing back lily that is." In exasperation Heero started to slowly bang his head down against the dashboard.  
  
"Hey, don't do that!" Heero looked up hopefully. Was it possible duo was showing concern for him? "You'll mess up my car." Heero sighed and leaned back in his seat, gazing out the window. Since lily had died duo had become bitter towards him, convinced that death would have been better than living without his soulmate. Heero had felt too guilty about cheating on duo with her to ever be able to be his lover again. Duo had taken it hard, feeling that first his female soulmate, then his best friend and lover, had left him. For ages afterwards he had moped and sulked. Meanwhile, Trowa broke it off with Quatre, who was also very upset. But Quatre got over it eventually and carried on with his life. Wufei had asked his girlfriend to marry him, and Trowa had gone into solidarity. He had shunned company and insisted on only coming out of his house for family occasions. Duo had married Ana a year after they moved into her house, and had asked Wufei to be best man. Heero had not taken it personally, but shortly afterward turned to drink for solace. When Anastasia and Cory had been born, Ana insisted on making Heero godfather. Quatre had found a girl who he was smitten over, an old school friend of Ana's. They hit it off instantly and when he proposed she said yes instantly. They had been married for 3 years before they had their first child. Clarice was a darling thing, and the twins had been delighted with her. Despite his abandonment, Trowa had been announced godfather. This seemed to finally put Trowa's old ghosts to rest, and he returned once more to a normal life. He revealed to them his pet project, started during those years of hermitage. He had started a library of classic books, and had so far collected hundreds. When the collection became too big to fit in his house, Ana gave him a room in the mansion, and it continued there. Everyone but Heero had gotten over his or her tragedies, or so he had thought. Evidently, duo still thought a great deal about her. While duo had silently got on with his grief, Heero had turned to a life of drink, drugs and womanising. He had bought a really expensive car to impress one of his girlfriends, and then promptly crashed it, almost killing them both. He had had his license revoked, and the girl had never spoken to him again. He was still lucky though. He was as strong as he was when he was a pilot, and managed to find work on building sites. He had tried for many jobs as a bouncer at clubs, but had been rejected on account of the fact that he still looked like he did at 16, slightly like a girl, and not very strong.  
  
"Are you getting out, or are you gonna live in my car now?" Heero was startled into awareness by duo, to find that he was in a dark room. After a moment he realised it was only the garage. He got out the car and the cool air hit him instantly, a welcome relief to the stifling heat of the car. He shut the door and followed Duo through the glass passageway that ran between the main house and the garage. 


	4. chapter four

Chapter 4  
  
Duo peered nervously from behind the curtain at the assembling crowd.  
  
"Daddy, don't worry. They're not even here to see you silly!" Anastasia giggled and twisted around on her piano stool. "I'll be fine, and Cree will be fine too." Referring to her brother as Cree meant that she was happy and content. It served as a comfort to duo, and he walked towards her.  
  
"I know darling, I just get worried." He gave her a big bear hug, and she squealed in delighted protest.  
  
"Daddy! Mommy says that if you crease my dress with all your hugging she'll do you in. Where's Cree?" she looked around and a puzzled look settled on her otherwise angelic face. Then it disappeared and she lit up in excitement as two men walked through the door, negotiating a large piece of canvas around the corners. A bemused Cory was following them, padding silently behind.  
  
"Isn't it pretty daddy?" the over-excited girl jumped down off her stool and ran towards her brother. She enclosed him in a huge bear hug. He just stood there with a taken-aback look; as though he had been minding his own business and a lunatic had rushed over and started showing him extreme displays of affection. Actually, that wasn't so far off.  
  
"Anastasia, let your brother go. Mommy's going to pull the curtain open soon, and you need to be ready." He bustled the two towards their places, Anastasia on the piano stool, and Cory standing by his painting. Duo did have to admit it was a magnificent piece. Cory had painted it from a photo, taken the previous week by a photographer who came in to take the whole family's portraits. It was a larger-than-life oil of Cory and Anastasia, sitting side by side, their bodies facing each other and their faces lit up with joy. Duo doubted very much whether a finer painting could be done by someone even ten years older than Cory. The painting captured the spirit of the children. Duo was just contemplating how much a piece like this would sell for when he heard a hiss from offstage.  
  
"Duo! Get off the stage. She's about to pull up the curtain." Quatre whispered to him. Then he hurried into the front row, and sat down.  
  
"Bye bye twins! Good luck, I love you lots!" he whispered to them.  
  
"Love you daddy!" they whispered back in unison. Duo followed Quatre, sitting near Wufei. On stage, Ana cleared her throat and the chatter from the audience died out.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen. We are all here today to celebrate the joint birthdays of the children of duo and I. We would like to express greatest thanks to everyone for the delightful presents. The twins were thrilled to see them. To say thank you, they would like to put on a little show for you. My daughter is going to play a piece on the piano that she learned especially for tonight, and my son is going to show you a painting he did of himself and his sister. We would appreciate."  
  
Duo zoned out, he had heard the speech often enough to know it by heart. He allowed his mind and eyes to wander from guest to guest. They took in the Lecrances', a married couple who owned the property next to theirs. The Twinings, who owned a fruit tea company just a mile or two away. The Smiths, the Newmans, the Lloyds and the Beech's were all in attendance as well. Duo knew these people only through the parties Ana had thrown over the years. There were also about a dozen people that duo didn't recognise. They probably worked with Ana, he didn't know. As his eyes started to move towards the stage again, he caught sight of something that greatly unsettled him. A tall ebony skinned man with glaringly white teeth stood at the back of the hall, grinning. The man was dressed all in black, black three-piece suit, black dress shirt, and black tie, with a long black vampire style coat worn with an air of indifference but power. His two side gold teeth glittered in the half-light of the hall, and duo felt a steady, almost canine, growl rise up in his throat. The man seemed to hear him, although duo knew this was impossible, because he looked over at duo and his grin widened. He dragged on his cigarette and then discarded it to the floor, where he stylishly stomped its last red embers out. Then he glanced back at the stage. Ana was finishing her speech. With a swish of his long coat, he was gone.  
  
"Whats the matter Maxwell? You seem even more angry than usual. Whats with the growling?" Wufei leant over and whispered to him.  
  
"Ronan. Here. Now. Gone." Duo whispered back through gritted teeth.  
  
"You're kidding!" Wufei forgot to whisper and almost shouted out. He quickly went quiet though and started scanning the hall.  
  
"Gone." Duo repeated.  
  
".So without any further ado, may I introduce, Anastasia and Cory, the most talented five year old twins in the history of the Norvatis family!"  
  
There was loud clapping from every part of the hall, as the curtains drew back to reveal a darkened stage. A Drumroll, and then the spotlights were switched on, trained to Anastasia's piano stool. Except, there was no Anastasia. Duo leapt to his feet at once, and went round to the back of the stage. When he got there he found that Cory was missing too.  
  
"Sorry folks, they're probably just hiding! Little rascals, always playing tricks on us." The crowd laughed good humouredly, and waited while duo hunted around, calling for the twins.  
  
"Come on! This is no time to hide. Mommy's going to be very angry if you don't come out." Still no twins.  
  
"Tell you what folks, why don't you go and sit for dinner, we can have the twins show after the feast." The crowd started to mutter politely, as though they were worried, but nonetheless started to move towards the dining hall.  
  
"Duo, what's happened? Where are they?" Ana was panicky, evidently worried about her children.  
  
"Don't worry, you know them, they're probably hiding out somewhere. If we look we'll find them." Even as he uttered words of comfort, and icy hand slid around his heart. He remembered Ronan standing at the back of the hall, grinning. He also remembered that he hadn't seen LJ anywhere. Could it be? No, LJ was evil, but not evil enough for kidnapping. So the search continued. Ana went to entertain the guests, and they seemed to have forgotten about the children. After two hours however, with still no sign of them, duo suggested that they go home.  
  
"Sorry people, if we cant find them there's really no point." They saw all the guests out, most of them saying goodbye in a worried, uncomfortable and vaguely sympathetic voice. He remembered that kind of voice. At the hospital when they had told him that there was nothing they could do for lily, and that she had been gone before he got her there, when he had started calling them liars and cursing them, then they had had that voice. He hated that voice. The other ex pilots and their partners had all insisted on staying and helping duo and Ana look. With the exception of Emily, who had to look after the baby, they hunted through the house, searching every room. Ana had broken down and started crying when she went into Cory's room. She had said the sight of all his little shoes lined up against the wall, all his toys neatly stacked, had been too much for her. Duo had put her to bed and carried on searching. For hours and hours they looked, yelling out the names of the children. At daybreak, they all collapsed into chairs in the living room.  
  
"Does anyone want coffee? We need it." Livinia stood up and started towards the kitchen.  
  
"Livinia, check, check to see if LJ is in her room please? Just please do it." Asked a weary duo. When she returned 10 minutes later, she had a tray of mugs and a puzzled look.  
  
"Duo, she's not in her room. All her stuff is gone too. It looks like she left in a hurry. I found this though." She handed him a small light blue envelope. With shaking hands he opened it. It contained a letter on a sheet of blue paper, written in LJ's small neat writing. Fearing what it might say, he did not read it out loud.  
  
To the one who calls himself Shinigami. Truly duo, truly you are a fool. I assumed that you would have enough sense to see what was coming, but apparently I overestimated your abilities. I assume you have guessed by now, if you haven't, then you will surely scream in agony at what I am about to reveal. I have taken your precious children. I have taken them from you, and am going to keep them to myself. First though, I am going to make sure that they never want to see you again. The little ones did protest an awful lot, screaming they were. Didn't want to go with strangers. Wanted to stay with daddy. Had to do a good bit of silencing, did Ronan. But they were quiet in the end. Of course, any child who has just been told their father wants to kill them will be rather thoughtful. You didn't give me the only thing I wanted, so now I have taken from you the only thing you had. Your children. Never again will that son paint. Never again will that daughter play the piano. They will grow up to be street children. Your daughter will be called things suitable only for a whore, and your son will fight and kill many people in the battles that you strove so hard to make sure he would never see. All the things you hoped would never happen to your precious twins are going to become reality. Do not expect to see them again. Remember shinigami, this would have been prevented if you had only given me what I wanted. I hope you die with that knowledge. I hope you never forget for one moment that your children will live like slaves because you were selfish. From your nightmare, Lady Jacquel, the teenage slut that you rejected. Ps, my innocence was lost at the hands of you at the age of only 13. Your daughter will suffer for it. Greatly.  
  
Enraged, Duo reread the letter and stuffed it into his pocket. Then, with his head clasped in his hands, he let loose an unearthly wail. Never again would he see his only children.  
  
********  
  
As the ex-pilots left that day, they hurried out of the house as quickly as possible. They had stayed for three hours after duo received the letter. After that, it had been too much. So they left the house. Left the sound of Ana sobbing and screaming. Left the sound of Duo shouting insults at everyone. Left the sight of smashed glass and servants hurriedly packing their bags. Duo had dismissed all the servants. He had shouted that no one was trustworthy and that he'd shoot anyone whom was still there the next day. No one doubted his threat. 


	5. chapter five

Part two, twelve years later.  
  
Chapter 5  
  
"Well if your so fucking perfect then why do you have to work so hard just to make a living?"  
  
"Because I like my job! It gives me an excuse to see some beauty once in a while. God knows I don't get that here!" a piercing shriek was heard, then something heavy smashed against the wall just to the right of duo's head. He had to duck to avoid another object as it hurtled right towards his face. He glanced at the shattered porcelain figures, then shouted angrily up the staircase,  
  
"Those were antiques! Priceless! They were about 300 years old!"  
  
"And you know exactly where you can stick your antiques!" she screamed as another ballerina twirled threw the air, this time hitting a china cabinet and falling to the floor only slightly cracked, before she fled up the sweeping staircase. Duo sighed and picked up the figure, then walked off to his right, towards his side of the house.  
  
As he sat down in his living room and picked up a cigarette from the gold case, he contemplated the figurine with trembling fingers. It had been an anniversary gift from him to his wife; they had come in a set of ten, each in a different position. This particular one had its toe's pointed, one leg on its base and the other slightly behind it. Its face looked towards the sky with an almost tragic look. Its right arm was curled against its body and the left stretched out. Of course, this had been a gift for their fourth anniversary. After their sixth, the marriage had stopped being important enough to either of them to bother with gifts. Yet, for the last twelve years, both had endured the unhappy situation. The fights had started soon after The Party. Little things, but the little things grew into bigger things and the bigger things turned into wedges. After their eighth anniversary duo had moved out of that part of the house and into the right wing. It was smaller, but suited his needs perfectly. Of course it had been a tip when he first got there. Flowers rotting in their vases, fruit long since gone mouldy on the table. Everywhere was covered in 3 years worth of dust. Trowa had moved back in briefly to help him clear the place up, but after that was gone. Duo had managed to alienate everyone with his temper and suspicion. Business clients found excuses to stop using Ana's company and she now had to rely on her father for her income. Duo had not been able to cope with sitting around all day moping, and so had got a job as a curate for an art gallery. All he had to do was supervise shipments and special exhibitions and occasionally show around high profile clients, but it helped keep his mind off what it desperately wanted to think about.  
  
After The Party, duo had had the police looking for three months. Still once every year they sent out an appeal with an enhanced photograph on TV and posters. There was no word, and no one had every heard from LJ or Ronan again. The anniversary of The Party was an especially hard day for both duo and Ana, and tempers seemed to fray dramatically at this time every year. Gently, ever so gently, duo placed the figurine on the table next to him and regarded it. He picked up his cigarette and drew a long breath. Smoking was a terrible habit, but it made him feel calmer. Luckily for him, it didn't seem to effect him at all. He was warned his teeth would go yellow and his fingers black. So far his teeth had stayed bright white, and his hands had only gone a pale cream colour, but that had more to do with hardly ever going outside. Anyway, Ana had picked up worse habits. She had started drinking heavily, and hardly a day went by when she didn't pass out at night instead of just going to sleep. She also made things worse for herself by sitting all day in the twins toy room on a rocking chair just staring at all the toys on the floor. She had demanded that they be left exactly as they were on the night of The Party. Only she was allowed to enter, and only she allowed to clean it. Often duo would peek through the door, and see her sitting there in that rocking chair, dressed in her long black dresses and gloves, with her knees drawn up just staring into space. She always wore gloves now, and black. Always black.  
  
A soft noise trickled through his door, and he recognised the sound of his wife playing the piano. She always played the same tune, "f?r Elise" which had been Anastasia's favourite, as though it would bring them back. It saddened him to hear her doing this, but she wouldn't stop, even when her doctor had suggested it night be unhealthy for her to not let go of her tragedy. After twelve years, she still wouldn't let it go.  
  
But today had been Party day. Today had been very stressing to both of them, and they had both been edgy. Today the twins, wherever they were, would be 17. 


	6. chapter six

Chapter six  
  
"Jackie, why the hell do I have to go out tonight? It's fucking cold out. I'ma fucking freeze my tits off." The tall girl dragged on her cigarette and walked over to the blue velvet chaise. She flopped down and regarded the woman on he other side of the room.  
  
"Because Hun, you're the one who wants the fur coats and the fancy jewellery, you have to pay for it." She moved away from the wall and sat behind the desk in the corner, observing the younger woman with a look of slyness spreading across her face  
  
" Looking nice is good for business. My clients want a girl who they can pass off as a daughter or niece or something. They want class."  
  
"I still ain't paying for your pretty things."  
  
"Fuck you then. I'm going out." She swung her long legs from the chaise and moved gracefully across the room.  
  
"Where you going?"  
  
"To find some fun." She picked up the long leather coat from where it had been flung across the back of an armchair and pulled it on. She went to the mirror and took in her appearance. The sultry black eyeliner and full rose coloured lipstick added mysteriousness to a face that was otherwise girl- next-doorish. Her dark blue satin blouse was tight against a body in its peak. The short black skirt that wasn't too short added a touch of class and the two hundred-dollar shoes told everyone that this wasn't any ordinary street girl. She belonged to someone, someone you wouldn't ever even consider fucking with. Ronan was the Godfather of pimps, and his girls didn't ever get hurt. Well, one did, once, but the abuser hadn't walked or seen straight since. She fluffed her honey blonde hair, and adjusted the top before moving towards the door. She just had time before she left to hear her mother telling her that it had better be the kind of fun you get paid for.  
  
"No sir, I was not interfering with anything sir!" the young soldier held himself straight, and stared straight forward, unconsciously avoiding the sergeants eyes.  
  
"You better not have been. If I find even one thing out of order with this station, I'll have your balls on the chopping block before you can call for your mommy." With a superior nod he slinked out the room and left the soldier in the control centre by himself.  
  
"Yes sir, go fuck yourself sir." the soldier snarled after him. He removed his pulled down cap and ran a hand through his dyed black hair. He was sick of the sergeant riding him day and night about his precious control centre. The guy was almost obsessive about it.  
  
Of course, he hadn't exactly told him the truth, more a variant of the truth. Hell, why be coy? He had down right lied. He was messing with the controls; in fact, he was in the middle of re-routing all the central fender panels at this very moment. It was just, that as a double agent, you don't go telling the guy your supposed to be working for that you're in the process of blowing up the nervous system of his army base.  
  
Well, that might not be exactly how the shit went down, but that was the plan. With things like this you were never exactly sure. They could go one way or another. However, he was the best computer and pyrotechnic technician that the Argyle Institute was currently in possession of. Wow, lucky him. But at least he was paid a packet.  
  
The clock on the wall read 7:56 p.m. He put a screwdriver from the table into his mouth and ducked down till he could crawl through the door in the wrap-around control panel. He switched the small bulb on and the space inside was illuminated with weak yellow light. He closed the door and the light got a bit stronger. He twisted round till he was on his stomach and leopard crawled towards another space deeper into the control panel. It was here that he found what he was looking for. It was small; someone who wasn't trained wouldn't have seen it. 'It' was a round box positioned high and hidden in the corner of the turn in the tunnel tightly packed with wire. What 'it' would do was push everything in the station into overdrive. Like one of those old fashioned boilers from the twentieth century, the pressure would build and build unless it was dumped. And if it wasn't, it shorted or blew. This one probably shorted, which meant that he would have to help it out a bit with the blowing up part. 8:04 p.m. He took the screwdriver out of his mouth and twisted the bolts holding the round box to the wall so they clattered out onto the carpeted floor with a muted tinkle. He removed the black exterior and saw something that would have made him yell with delight if he was that kind of guy. He wasn't. He just smirked and removed something from his back pocket. This wasn't a short out dispensing-panel; it was a fourth-of-July-with-a-dash-of-guyfawks-and-a- whole-load-of-hand-grenade blowing up dispensing-panel. But that didn't mean he couldn't still add his extra strong custom-made pyro-dough. He was proud of his first invention, and had so far only tested it out on small things; vases, computers, dogs, cars, and the occasional cow that he stumbled across. To see it tested out on a whole army base would be beyond awesome. It would be his crowning achievement in his life so far. At sixteen he had an unusual amount of achievements, but this would be the best by far.  
  
He attached the small grey blob of highly explosive dough to the gold valve on the wall, and twisted the valve till the needle read two fifty pounds per square inch of pressure. Still low, but he needed time to remove himself from the situation. By the time he had screwed the black round box back on the wall the gauge read 300 psi. Shit, it was climbing fast. He figured he had about an hour before the whole air base came to a rest on the moon.  
  
He scrambled backwards and when he came back to the door didn't even bother to switch off the light, just closed the door and ran towards his quarters to pack his few possessions.  
  
It was 8:28 p.m. 


	7. chapter seven

Chapter seven  
  
  
  
Everyone knows where they where on the night that the Paige Wordely army base blew up, taking out the 800 workers there and flattening anything within a mile of it. Its like John F. Kennedy or the world trade centre. For a month the ground burned and black fumes from the chemicals kept in the labs hung heavy in the sky, almost solid with it's density.  
  
(Date: Friday 13 June, after colony 224  
  
Time: 09:15:23 p.m.  
  
Sites destroyed: Paige Wordely army base, Paige Wordely junior school. Paige Wordely middle school, Paige Wordely high school, Paige Wordely road, Nineteenth avenue, Lecrance estate, upper east crescent, school road, Norvatis estate, Mathers institute.)  
  
For some they were at home, getting ready to sit down with their kids and help with homework.  
  
(Total death toll: 13549. under 18 years: 2864. under 16 years: 897 Total cost in damages: 3250 billion US dollars.)  
  
For others they were still at work and saw the huge mushroom of light through the windows of their skyscrapers.  
  
(Cause: unknown.)  
  
For some, they were in the Paige Wordely school, watching their kids perform in the school play. The school was not 700 metres away from the base. Everyone in it burned.  
  
(Perps. Caught: none. Perps. Tried: none. Perps. Convicted: none.)  
  
Anyone within ten thousand miles saw the light in the sky and some assumed it was just something like a reverse eclipse. Others viewed it as a sign of the apocalypse and there was a rush at grocery stores for provisions. Thousands gathered outside buildings and houses and on the streets to watch the sky light up for ten minutes. For others it was twenty, and within 50 miles of the base the sky stayed lit up for a day and a half.  
  
Half an hour after the explosion, the shrapnel started to rain down. Houses where destroyed as chunks of twisted metal as big as cars rained down onto the streets. Car owners stuck in night traffic fled, screaming hysterically as the hail of fire and burning debris smashed through windows and crushed people where they stood. There was panic and mayhem throughout the country, and the incident was seen as one of the major disasters of history. Millions gathered and kept silence for the dead in the months to come. Money flowed in from all corners. World leaders debated between announcing war or declaring peace. Peace won out in the end. No one wanted to risk the chance of another Paige Wordely. 


	8. chapter eight

Chapter eight  
  
At 9:20 in the Boulevard hotel on Ninety-second Street, a rich businessman watched the carnage out of the huge floor to ceiling windows in the presidential suite. He swore as a building no more than five miles from the spot he was standing, was flattened. He had been close to engaging in an incredibly pleasant 'business meeting' with his 'niece' when the huge yellow light had startled him out of the game he had been playing. Thirty seconds later, the sound came, a muted boom that left him staggered, and it rolled over him like it was almost solid, he could feel the heat through the open windows.  
  
He had jumped out of the bed away from the blonde girl next to him and rushed to the window as she lit a cigarette with her gloved right hand and reminded him she was paid by the half-hour. He told her to take a shower. She had told him to perform an illegal sex act on a farm animal and rolled off the bed. She didn't bother to put on a robe, and wandered into the bathroom to have a bath.  
  
Shower my ass, she thought. I ain't sitting in the fucking presidential suite-ee and taking a fucking 'power shower'. Nah, bathing made her seem like the first lady, a princess. She asked the man at the window if he didn't want to stop watching the fireworks and join her. He told her to fuck off without looking around. She flipped him the finger and closed the bathroom door. Fine by her, longer he watched those damn sky lights, more she got paid.  
  
She ran the gold leaf covered tap on full blast, the cold tap feeling good under her satin covered hand. There were five hot taps surrounding the circular tub. It made it fill up faster. Once it was full up and at the right temperature, she scooped up her hair so the honey blonde strands hung down by her face at some places. She looked at with a tired surrendering sigh. It was already starting to curl in the steam. She straightened it every day, but it was determined to carry on curling. It had been curly ever since she was a little girl. Her first memory was of a lady with red hair and green eyes brushing it and singing. She didn't know who this woman was, but always associated with this figure was a man, he was, there was no other word for it, beautiful. He had blue eyes, but they were more than blue, almost purple. He had long hair, but she couldn't remember what colour, and a face she could never recall. All she remembered was the long hair and blue-ish colour. She couldn't even remember the shape of his eyes. When she had questioned her mother about these people she had just looked angrily at Ronan, who had shrugged, and told her that they were old friends of the family. Even at the age of seven she hadn't bought this. But she never asked again. From then on Jackie had started to straighten her hair. Sometimes Honey could remember things, things that didn't fit in with what she knew had happened in her childhood. A big house with a peacock topiary tree. They had always lived in small houses with smaller lawns. Lots of uncles and aunts. She had no extended family. A big grand piano. She didn't even know how to play the piano! She also sometimes felt snatches of something. It was buried deep and she must have forced herself to forget it at a very young age. But it was still there. Whenever she heard about some psycho who had killed a kid, she felt ill and thought  
  
(bastard bastard he was a bastard never any good hated you hated me tried to kill you i saved you would've died if i hadn't been there)  
  
It was her mother talking, but Honey had for some reason associated 'he' with her father. She didn't know him though, never had. Her mother told her that he was living away somewhere. That was the most detailed answer to the question she had ever got. She climbed over the side of the bath, removed the glove and placed it to one side and sunk low. It was more like a Jacuzzi actually. It was about four feet deep, and had a step that ran around it so that the occupier could sit down. As she soaked she listened to the sound of her 'employer' picking up the phone and dialling the operator. He asked for a name in the Paige Wordely dialling code. She stifled a laugh. His wife! He was with her, getting off while his wife was dying in some bitch of an explosion. It would almost hurt her to charge him tonight. Almost, but not quite. He was a regular and if she let him off once she might never get anything from him again.  
  
She blew a bubble off her outstretched leg and watched as it floated down to the floor and gave a sickening shudder before it just ceased to exist.  
  
He was still on the phone, now asking for another name, this one in the peak place district. As she listened to his side of the conversation she gathered that he'd just told a friend of his wife's demise. Another phone call, this one less emotional than the others. He asked to speak to a mister Chang and at that she giggled. Chang. It was a funny name. He said something about 'the clause'. She cocked her head to the side and listened with more interest.  
  
He was putting in a claim for his wife's life insurance.  
  
He placed the phone down after ten minutes of talking, and then laughed, soft and low. He moved towards the bed and sat down. She knew he was taking an expensive cigar from the gold case he carried around, with his initials stamped into it in diamonds. D.M.S. she didn't know his name, but he liked her to call him Daniel. So she did.  
  
He came towards the bathroom and spoke through the door.  
  
"Everyone in there decent?"  
  
"No" she quickly grabbed the glove off the side of the bath and pulled it on.  
  
"Good." He opened the door and took a seat opposite the bath. As he sat looking at her, she had a chance to take him in. He was very good looking, with long auburn hair and dark blue eyes. His chest was scarred in more than one place, but still utterly wonderful. She liked him more than any other client, and it was a pleasure to have him just run his hand over her. Actually, that's all he did mostly. Just sigh and run a finger over her smooth curves. He seemed reluctant to get any further.  
  
"How old are you?"  
  
"You first."  
  
"Alright, if that's the way you wanna play it, 36" She was amazed. She had reckoned him to be at least 40, not because he looked it (he looked much, much younger, almost twenty something) but because of his eyes. They were the eyes of someone who has seen a lot of tragedy and been forced to live through it.  
  
"What about you now?"  
  
"Seventeen." She surprised herself by telling the truth. She had expected a lie to slip out, 'yes sir I'm twenty six ' but she didn't. She hardly ever answered that question in the first place, now she was telling the truth? Weird.  
  
He let out a long, low whistle.  
  
"Seventeen? Really?"  
  
"Yeah, what of it?"  
  
"Nothing, just. how long have I been with you? Two years? Yeah, so you were fifteen when you started? Jesus."  
  
"Come on baby, don't flatter yourself. I started before you even thought about cheating."  
  
"Don't think so Hun, I was thinking about it when my kids were in diapers, so you couldn't possibly have been."  
  
"How olds them kids now?" as she said it, the thought that they might've died in the explosion crossed her mind. Yeah, putting on a play for mommy while daddy was away doing ''business'', then the whole school gets blown sky high. "They would be seventeen. Twins." His voice snagged on the last word and hung there like a limp piece of cloth on barbed wire. She didn't want to ask the next question, but it flowed from her mouth and she was powerless to stop it.  
  
"Would be? Whad'ya mean?" she regretted it immediately. He looked like he wanted to cry or something. Seeing a man fall to pieces in front of her was usual, but not in this way, not at all. She tugged unconsciously at her glove.  
  
"They're gone now." Again, his voice snagged.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry."  
  
"It's just, that's why I was so surprised at your age. I was thinking, my baby girl could be just like her, out there at seventeen making her living screwing. It's their birthday today. That's why I'm falling to pieces." He gave a weak laugh, then remembered the cigar in his hand and brought it to his lips.  
  
Meanwhile, she had gone silent. Her left hand was limply raised in the air, she had forgot to put it down on it way to her mouth with its cargo of a fast depleting cigarette. Her brain worked overtime, putting pieces together of this new puzzle.  
  
She was seventeen. Her brother was her twin. Today was her birthday.  
  
"Tell me, did your wife have red hair and green eyes?" her voice wavered, and she felt like she was going to swoon. "And did your kids have curly blonde hair? And did you live in a big house with a peacock topiary and a grand piano?" she was crying silently now, the tears making a hot stream down her face.  
  
He frowned, and thought about the question for a minute before answering.  
  
"Yeah, how did you know that?"  
  
She fainted then, and as her head slipped silently down under the water she had enough time to think one final thought;  
  
Thank god he never fucked me. 


	9. chapter nine

Chapter nine  
  
He watched the explosion from a hill fife miles away. He felt a glorious sense of triumph as the lights boomed, once twice, thrice. A sudden wave of heat preceded the dull sound with its thud like quality. Almost like the sound of a ceramic ornament falling onto a shag carpet from a trinket- table. He frowned slightly, it wasn't supposed to be like that. It was supposed to be sharp and clear and loud. But the frown disappeared quickly when he thought a bit more. No, if the sound were too loud, it would overshadow the art of the destruction. People would look back in fifty years time and say 'yop, all I can remember was a huge explosion, like the sound of a canon goin' off right next t' yer ear.' He didn't want that. He wanted this; 'first son, you saw the lights. Like fairy lights exploding on a Christmas tree they was. Then, If you's was close enough, this godawful wave of heat. Then a thud.' But that wasn't it, now other things were starting to go as well. He sat up and watched in interest as the school started to go. First the junior school. Then the high school, then the middle school. All had gone in a pop and a flare of orange-red fire. He felt a sense of almighty justice as even from this distance he felt the heat and heard the screams. He was lucky, there was a strong wind, and the sounds carried perfectly. He threw his head back and laughed. Now the properties of the rich were going up in flames. He watched the demon he had created eagerly eat everything in its path.  
  
He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, and replaced his cap on his head, unknowingly mimicking the action that in his childhood he had seen his father carry out many times. He picked up his duffel bag and swung it over his shoulder. Half running, he got to the bottom of the hill and climbed into his battered but incredibly cool black '78 Tonnerre Wolverine with the silver streaks. He loved his car more than life itself, and would protect it with his own life if it came to it.  
  
"Come on buddy, lets get moving." He revved the engine and the car purred into life immediately. He released the break and accelerated. Within seconds he had left the smoking ruins of the Paige Wordely district behind him.  
  
  
  
  
  
The cold and uninviting corridors with their smell of Lycrol made him uncomfortable. In this building, hundreds, no, thousands could die, and no one would think anything of it. Because what else did people do in hospitals? They died. Even if they didn't die in the place, even if they were mended, they still died. Because if you are whole and then you break, hospitals do the equivalent of taping together a worn out toy, or replacing a light bulb. Eventually more bits of the toy would come off, or the lamp would short circuit for good. Hospitals just prolonged the deterioration process. He fidgeted with the end of his braid, looking down at his lap and trying to swallow the huge lump that had arisen in his throat. A hot, sharp tear escapes the side of his eye and it felt like a shard of glass. He felt like a fifteen-year-old again, he hated this feeling. He remembered the night Hilde had gone into the hospital. He shook his head to rid himself of the memory.  
  
"Duo." He looked up at the man standing before him, and his throat tightened in delayed grief. And although he could not say the words on his tongue, the man understood.  
  
He stood up and almost simultaneously collapsed. Trowa caught him and held him tight. Duo could only sob into his best friend's chest.  
  
At any other time before that, one would have looked on this pair and thought them odd, embracing in the middle of the hospital corridor at 11 at night, one of them sobbing.  
  
But on the evening of June 13th, these two were wholly typical, one mourning for the loss of a wife and loved one, one trying to console what he could not understand. Thousands cried that night, millions even. But even though people similar to themselves surrounded these two, crying in grief or pity, they saw none of them.  
  
Duo couldn't think of anything beside his grief and self-pity and loathing of an event doomed to repeat itself.  
  
Trowa thought 'how many times must I watch him lose the people he loves? How many times must he go through this pain? Were our actions in vain? Is this pointless war doomed to repeat itself?' 


	10. chapter ten

Chapter ten  
  
In the cold claustrophobic quiet of the cathedral, with the droning voice of the priest, duo felt curiously detached. He glanced behind him and surveyed those in attendance. There were many, and all the seats were filled up. His eyes washed over the various attendees and felt a pang in his heart when we remembered that he had done almost the exact same thing at his son and daughters birthday party all those years ago. His eye's returned to the front and he took in the coffin.  
  
She had bought it two years ago, saying that she didn't want to leave something as important as 'all this' to an incapable sod. He had let her get on with it.  
  
It was maple, dark and polished, with solid gold handles and glorious engravings of angels and fairies along the outside of the top. The casket was open, but he already knew what the inside looked like. She had been in the incredibly strange habit of sleeping in it sometimes. The white satin padded inside would have been incredibly comfortable, and the pillow designed to hold the deceased's head up would have been ok for sleeping on. Her face was made up so that it looked like she had just been out in the autumn cold, her cheeks pleasantly pink and her mouth full and rosy. Her hair had been brushed and styled so that it flowed over her left shoulder and across her left arm. They had had to do something to cover the burn marks. She wore a beautiful pure white dress; the bodice soft and lacy and the skirt just long enough to reveal her ballet shoe clad toes. She had insisted for many years that she be buried in ballet shoes. So that she could dance in heaven, she had said. That had been before the Party, but he still dutifully carried out her wish. She was buried with only one ring on her finger. The plain gold claddagh ring that her grandfather had given her. He was rather bitter, for she had hidden her wedding and engagement ring, and her will stated she did not wish to be buried in it.  
  
The priest finished his sermon and a dreary 'amen' came from the attendees.  
  
Then something happen which wasn't supposed to happen. The priest at this point was supposed to leave the podium and lead the congregation to the grave. But he didn't. He said; "Now I believe we have a piece sung by two members of. an outside choir?" he sounded rather puzzled, as though he had just been handed this information. Duo wasn't surprised by this new arrangement; his wife was apt to changing things at the last moment. He settled his eyes back to the front, but watched in amazement as two young people, one male, and one female, walked on stage. They were both wearing monk robes of deep black velvet with deep blue velvet rope-belts around the waist. The monk hoods were down, and the sight of two of the most beautiful people they had or would ever see met the congregation.  
  
The girl had just-below-shoulder-length honey blonde hair, and the most beautiful green eyes. They sparkled with life and vitality.  
  
The boy had jet-black hair and blue eyes, but they were so intense they seemed to be the only things visible. His left hand he rested lightly on the coffin of his mother, but his right he kept drawn into his robes.  
  
"Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. My sister and I were particularly close to the deceased, and would like to pay our respects by singing a song. We hope we do it well enough to be granted her heavenly favour." His voice was low; it would easily be bass when he sang. But his tone was harsh, almost mocking and he spoke the word 'deceased' as though it was something he wouldn't wipe off his shoe.  
  
The boy hummed first and then the girl. They even hummed in perfect harmony, their voices blending to become one. It was beautiful even at this stage, and older women who remembered things that happened to the poor Norvatis-Maxwell family all those years ago shed a tear for all the loses poor Dominic Maxwell had had to live through.  
  
But it was when the singing started that the tears began in earnest. Their voices rang through the huge building like birds in flight, bouncing off the walls so that all at once a whole choir was singing. Except there were only those two, singing a song of loss and sorrow. The words where lost to most, though later the same women as before would swear the two were singing about redemption and pain.  
  
When it was over, the last note flown from their mouths in unison, lingering and languishing, the two bowed and offered their remorse to the family and it's loses.  
  
They slipped off stage and were gone before anyone could find them. The last seen of them in that place were the robes, lying in heaps on the floor, with two gloves next to them. Except both gloves were right handed. 


	11. chpater eleven

Chapter eleven  
  
"Duo man, did you see her?"  
  
"Dude, you're in for some serious shit now."  
  
"What in Christ on a fucking crucifix's name is going on here!" Heero's last remark brought silence into the group, and titters from some of the ladies standing next to them.  
  
Duo went up to the priest and had a quite word, then headed back.  
  
"Let's get out of here."  
  
"But-"  
  
"Just let's go, ok?"  
  
"Yeah, ok." Wufei hung his head and scuffed his shoe against the ground. His wife would be ma-ad at the scuff, but he could deal with that later. This was more important.  
  
Once the group had moved into a more secluded spot in the cemetery, where by the looks of it not even the groundkeeper dared enter, they all sat down. Duo, Heero, and Quatre sat on grave markers; Wufei perched on the edge of a crypt, swinging his legs and Trowa just sat spread-eagled on the floor. The only sound that touched them was the breeze moving gently through the bushes, and birds singing in the trees. The sun beat down on them gently and they removed their hot jackets.  
  
"It was her." Wufei was the first to break the sunny silence.  
  
"Definitely Lily."  
  
" But who was the guy?"  
  
"Looked a bit like duo in his youth." Quatre pointed out the obvious.  
  
"Maybe Lily went in for a bit of cloning herself." That was Trowa, forever being the ray of sunshine.  
  
"It wasn't her."  
  
"Who was it then man? I mean it was definite-"  
  
"Goddammit Heero, it wasn't her!"  
  
"Duo, we all saw her with our own eyes." Quatre said kindly.  
  
"Well, you saw lily, but think about it. She's dead. Has been for about twenty years. Who else could it have been?" duo knew the question would be met with blank stares, but he asked it anyway.  
  
"Duo, she was kinda, well individual remember? I mean, did you see the way her eyes glinted different colours? Those eyes. They were the green of the deep sea, mixed with the colour of fresh spring grass."  
  
"Didn't know you were quite so poetic Chang. Think. Who else had eyes like that?" duo ignored the blank stares and went on. " And how old was that girl there? How old was lily when she died? How old would she be now if she had escaped death somehow?"  
  
They all seemed to have reverted back into the 15-year-olds they had been. Heero was scowling and kicking at grass, Quatre was looking thoughtfully at the clouds and Trowa was just looking sad. Wufei had climbed onto the top of the crypt and was walking around the ornate archangel statue. It was slightly creepy, the statue had its arms raised up and it was holding the limp body of a woman, offering her to the sky. Its face spoke of righteousness and glory. He peered down to take a look at the inscription. When he read it, he took another look at the statue, his mouth and eyes forming O's of something not quite shock, but damn close. The angel was a woman, with long sweeping hair and robes that billowed. Her flicked up nose was an attractive feature, and the shadows made her eyes dance and seem to be of different colours. He read the inscription again; his eyes widening, and then backed away fast. Except, he had forgotten he was standing on a ledge about two feet wide and promptly fell off the edge. At his yelp and the ensuing thump the pilots rushed round the crypt and cracked up with laughter. Even Quatre had a small giggle at the other ex-pilot's misfortune. Wufei brushed himself off and mumbled something under his breath, something, which sounded remarkably like 'weaklings'.  
  
"What did you do that for?" Quatre sounded plenty bemused, but could already guess the answer.  
  
"Didn't do it on purpose asshole." Yop, he'd got it in one.  
  
"But what made you fall off?" this time it was Trowa's turn.  
  
Wufei hesitated. "Just slipped. Come on, what were we talking about?"  
  
They took up the thread again immediately.  
  
"She'd have been 34 last April."  
  
"And how old did that girl there look?" as he made his point, he looked at each of the pilots. They were all looking like little kids, trying to fix a puzzle that was too big for them. Finally, Trowa spoke.  
  
"Couldn't been older'n 18."  
  
"She's 17. And she's not lily, but damned close. Now think about it."  
  
"But lily was about that age when she died!"  
  
"Are you suggesting that she came back from the dead?"  
  
"No, not exactly. But god Duo, what is it then?"  
  
"Think about it. That boy, what was his role? Think about how he looked, what he said, and his relationship with the girl."  
  
"They were just singing together." Wufei was sulking, and rubbing his back.  
  
" No! No! I remember!" Quatre hopped off his stone excitedly, and began pacing. " He said, 'my sister and I.' And his hair, it was too black to be natural. He must've dyed it."  
  
"Well done Watson. Now, put them together."  
  
"Ok, girl, estimated age, 17. Long blonde hair, weird green eyes, cute straight nose, -"  
  
"Lily had an upturned nose." Wufei interjected then gave a shudder. When he saw the other men's faces, he just shrugged and repeated himself. "Lily's nose was upturned. But still cute."  
  
"All right, straight nose. Boy, sibling, tallish, cobalt eyes, dyed black hair, looked like Duo in his youth-" as realisation dawned on Quatre, his mouth dropped open and he pivoted slowly on the spot to look at Duo. His friend's head was bent and his hands were clasped loosely in his lap, his elbows resting on his knees. As Quatre turned, Duo looked up, his face half hidden in shadow and his eyes just peering from beneath his hair sadly.  
  
"Yeah." He stated simply.  
  
"Not. Possible." Quatre was stunned.  
  
"It is. Possible that is. And true." Duo let his head hang once more and a curtain of hair closed of his face.  
  
"Ok Sherlock Holmes," said Wufei "you guys may know whats going on here, but I don't. Someone spill the beans."  
  
No one said anything, but Quatre stared at Duo, who in turn stared at the ground. All the other pilots looked at Duo, each puzzling out the riddle in his mind. Trowa was the first to figure it out. The click as his mind registered the facts and put them in order was almost audible.  
  
"No, fucking, way. No, there's just no way."  
  
Duo just looked up and nodded. Trowa put his head into his hands and started to mutter to himself.  
  
Next came Wufei.  
  
"You mean. she, they.for real?" his eyes took up his whole face and one glance at Duo assured him that it was true.  
  
Now all the pilots were looking at Heero. He glared back, but after about thirty seconds, his face softened, his jaw dropped, and his eyes became huge.  
  
"Fuck no man! You said you weren't doing that shit! What the fuck happened to them? Jesus Christ, what've they had to live with?" he wasn't shouting, but his voice trembled with anger.  
  
"I don't know. I hope they somehow escaped. I don't want to think about what life was like for them."  
  
"Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit. I don't think they escaped. Remember, they were singing that hymn, the one that goes ' I hope they hang him on high, I hope they hang him in they morn, I hope they hang him on high, For all the things he's done.' Man, I think they were sending you a message."  
  
"That's wonderful Quatre. Really fucking helpful. Thanks for being the eternal ray of sunshine." Heero said angrily.  
  
"Just pointing out facts man. Just pointing out facts. " He said, then shrugged.  
  
"But why would they hate him so much? I mean, somehow they figured out he's their father, why aren't they happy to meet him again?" Quatre asked, still staring up at they sky, as if the clouds would tell him the answers.  
  
"Yeah, good question. But the world is full of good questions, what we need are some good answers." It was Trowa's turn to look at the sky. As he gazed to his side at his ex lover's profile, he felt a shiver, of what? Longing.love.loss.or all the above?  
  
"You never read it did you? That night, you never read the letter did you?"  
  
"Never read what? What are you talking about?" Wufei jumped off the gravemarker he was sitting on and made his way to Duo's side.  
  
"What is it man?" he grabbed the man by the shoulders and shook him slightly.  
  
Duo shrugged his hands away and reached into the pocket off his jacket, which he had left on the floor. He withdrew a small envelope, which had at one point been blue, and was now a faded off white with watermarks. He handed it to the Chinese pilot. But suddenly Wufei didn't want to know what Duo was talking about. He wanted to hand the letter back and say 'hey, I was just kidding, you can keep those skeletons in their closets.' But he knew that was not how the shit would go down. His hands shook as the other pilots crowded behind him, shook as he opened the flap and withdrew a letter, shook as he regarded the bright blue paper. He carefully unfolded the letter, and gazed at the small neat handwriting before he started to read. 


End file.
